directed by Martin Scorsese
Rupert Pupkin (De Niro), a wannabe comic with no experience and who still lives with his mother, hounds Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis), a popular talk show host. Rupert thinks he is ready to be on Jerry's show. He ignores many signals that Jerry has no interest in having him on the show.
Rupert has faith in Jerry until he shows up at Jerry's house unannounced. Jerry angrily kicks Rupert out. Rupert, with some help from Masha (Sandra Bernhard), a woman who has like Rupert been ignored by Jerry, kidnaps the talk show host.
Diahnne Abbott plays Rita, a bartender that Rupert is trying to impress. Abbott was also in Taxi Driver and New York, New York, both of which were also directed by Martin Scorsese and starred Robert De Niro. She was married to De Niro from 1976 to 1988.
I found the first hour of this movie to be very uncomfortable. It felt like there was tension building without any release. Rupert has delusions about how his future encounters are going to go. It was so weird that when it came to the part where Rupert goes to Jerry's house I thought at first that it was another of his delusions.
The story felt like it was starting to go somewhere early in the second hour. There were moments that I laughed. The ending left me puzzled. I'm not sure what to make of it. It seemed to be saying that Rupert was right to do what he did. I think that's nuts. An alternate explanation might be that the very end or possibly even more than that was another of Rupert's delusions. I think I like that explanation better.
I found it hard to look away from this movie. I don't love it. I don't even think I would say that I like it but I was drawn in by this movie.
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